18  A Miraculous  Meal  (John 6:1–15)

After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near. Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. (6:1–15)

The New Testament offers numerous lines of evidence for the deity of Jesus Christ, not the least of which is His many miracles (cf. Acts 2:22). In a unique and powerful way His miraculous works demonstrate His divine glory (John 2:11). The Lord Himself used them to support His remarkable claims: “The works which the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works that I do—testify about Me, that the Father has sent Me” (5:36). In response to the exasperated demand of His critics, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly” (10:24), Jesus answered, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me” (v. 25). The Lord also rebuked Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum because, in spite of the numerous miracles He had performed in those cities, they stubbornly refused to repent (Matt. 11:20–24).

When John the Baptist sent his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or do we look for someone else?” (Luke 7:20), Jesus replied by pointing them to His miraculous works:

And when Jesus’ own disciples failed to grasp the truth of His union with the Father He told them, “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves” (John 14:11).

Throughout His ministry, Jesus could have thrilled the watching crowds with spectacular displays of His divine power, such as lifting up the temple and suspending it in midair, or flying through the sky at supersonic speeds. But instead, He chose to display divine compassion by doing miracles that delivered people in need. He healed the sick (Matt. 4:23–24; 8:2–3, 5–13, 14–16; 9:2–7, 20–22, 27–30, 35; 12:9–13, 15; 14:14; 15:30; 19:2; 20:30–34; 21:14; Mark 6:5; 7:31–35; Luke 5:15; 6:17–19; 9:11; 14:1–4; 17:11–14; 22:51; John 4:46–53; 5:1–9; 6:2; 9:1–7), raised the dead (Matt. 9:23–25; Luke 7:11–15; John 11:43), and cast out demons (Matt. 4:24; 8:16, 28–33; 9:32–33; 12:22; 15:21–28; 17:14–18; Mark 1:39; Luke 11:14; 13:32). Even the Lord’s creative miracles were not sensational magic tricks. As noted in chapter 6 of this volume, by creating wine at the wedding at Cana (John 2:1–11) Jesus met a necessity for the guests and saved the bride and groom from a socially embarrassing situation. The miraculous feeding of the five thousand was a large act of compassion on behalf of people who would have gone hungry.

Although they could not deny His miracles, the religious authorities in Judea vehemently rejected Jesus’ claims (5:16–47). But that rejection did not deter Him, or cause Him to soften His message. Nonetheless, the Lord left Judea because the Jewish leaders sought to kill Him before His appointed time (5:18; cf. 7:1, 30; 8:20). Chapter 6, then, finds Him in Galilee, the northern part of Israel. This chapter is similar in structure to chapter 5; both record a miracle by Jesus, leading to a discourse on His deity. And each recounts the response of the people, which on both occasions was an outright rejection of His message.

The feeding of the five thousand is the fourth sign that John recorded to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and Son of God (cf. 2:11; 4:54; 5:1–17). It is the only miracle (apart from Christ’s resurrection) recorded by John that also appears in the Synoptic Gospels (Matt. 14:13–20; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 9:10–17)—a fact that emphasizes its importance, since most of what John wrote supplements the other gospels, providing material they did not include. Although all of Jesus’ miracles were astonishing, the feeding of the five thousand demonstrated His creative power more clearly and impressively than any other miracle. In fact, in terms of the number of people affected, it was the largest of His miracles (exceeding His later feeding of four thousand, recorded in Matt. 15:32–39; Mark 8:1–9). The feeding of the five thousand also sets the stage for the Lord’s discourse on the bread of life that follows (vv. 22ff.).

The narrative unfolds in four scenes: the fickle crowd, the faithless disciples, the fulfilling dinner, and the false coronation.

THE FICKLE CROWD

After these things Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). A large crowd followed Him, because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick. Then Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near.(6:1–4)

The phrase meta tauta (after these things [cf. 5:1]) does not necessarily mean that the events recorded in chapter 6 immediately followed the events recorded in chapter 5. It simply indicates that what happened in chapter 6 occurred subsequent to the events in the previous chapter. Evidently there was a significant time gap between chapters 5 and 6. According to verse 4, the events of chapter 6 took place shortly before Passover. If the unnamed feast of 5:1 was the Feast of Tabernacles, about six months would have elapsed between the two chapters; if it was Passover, the gap would have been a year. During that interval, Jesus continued ministering in Galilee—as the events recorded in Matthew 5:1–8:1; 8:5–13, 18, 23–34; 9:18–11:30; 12:15–14:12; Mark 3:7–6:30; and Luke 6:12–9:10 make clear. The spread of His fame over that six- to twelvemonth time period helps explain the enormous size of the crowd that had gathered on this occasion.

The feeding of the five thousand took place on the other side of the Sea of Galilee (or Tiberias). Since the largest area of Galilee lies to the west of the lake, the other side would indicate the area east of the lake, more remote and less populous. The Sea of Galilee is also known in Scripture as the Sea of Chinnereth (Num. 34:11; Josh. 13:27), the Sea of Chinneroth (Josh. 12:3), and the Lake of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1). By the time John wrote his gospel, it had become commonly known as the Sea of Tiberias (cf. 21:1). It was named for the city of Tiberias, located on the lake’s western shore, which was founded by Herod Antipas and named in honor of Emperor Tiberius (cf. Luke 3:1).

The Synoptic Gospels suggest two reasons that Jesus and the disciples withdrew to the eastern side of the lake. First, the Twelve had just returned from a preaching mission (Mark 6:7–13, 30), and Jesus, too, had been heavily involved in exhausting ministry while they were gone (Matt. 11:1). The Lord knew the disciples needed a time of rest and instruction, a sort of debriefing after the completion of their mission (Mark 6:31–32). Matthew 14:13 reveals that news of John the Baptist’s death provided an additional reason for their withdrawal: “Now when Jesus heard about John [that he had been executed by Herod; 14:1–12], He withdrew from there in a boat to a secluded place by Himself.”

Jesus and His disciples were not to find the peaceful seclusion they sought, however. According to Mark 6:32, they crossed the Sea of Galilee by boat, but a large crowd from the surrounding cities (Matt. 14:13) followed them on foot along the shore (Mark 6:33). By the time they reached their destination, a mass of people was already waiting for them (Matt. 14:14), with more on the way. The crowd was not motivated by faith, repentance, or genuine love for Him. On the contrary, they followed the Lord because they saw the signs which He was performing on those who were sick (cf. 2:1–11; 4:46–54; Matt. 8:2–4, 5–13, 14–17, 28–34; 9:1–8, 18–26, 27–33; 12:9–13; Mark 1:21–28). They were thrill seekers who failed to grasp the true significance of Jesus’ miraculous signs (cf. v. 26)—which pointed unmistakably to Him as the Son of God and the Messiah. As such, they were the Galilean counterparts of the Judean false believers described in 2:23–25. They flocked to see His works, but ultimately refused to accept His words (cf. v. 66). They sought the benefits of His power in their physical lives, but not in their spiritual lives.

After arriving at the eastern shore of the lake, Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat down with His disciples. Despite the gathering crowd, the Lord wanted some time alone with the Twelve. Mountains provided the setting for many of the important scenes in Christ’s life and ministry, including part of His temptation by the Devil (Matt. 4:8); the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1; 8:1); the choosing of the Twelve (Mark 3:13); the exercise of His healing ministry (Matt. 15:29–30); the transfiguration (Matt. 17:1); the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:3); His meeting with the disciples after the resurrection (Matt. 28:16); and His ascension (Acts 1:12). This particular mountain was probably located in the region known today as the Golan Heights, the site of a major battle between Israeli and Syrian forces during the Six-Day War of 1967.

As noted above, the fact that the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near places this incident several months after the events of chapter 5. It also suggests that the enormous crowd may have consisted, at least in part, of pilgrims preparing to travel together to Jerusalem for the feast. Moreover, it was at Passover, which commemorates the nation’s deliverance from Egypt, that the Jews’ nationalistic feelings reached their peak. That may help explain the crowd’s zealous attempt to make Jesus king (v. 15).

THE FAITHLESS DISCIPLES

Therefore Jesus, lifting up His eyes and seeing that a large crowd was coming to Him, said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” This He was saying to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do. Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.” One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?” (6:5–9)

After spending some time on the mountain with the Twelve, Jesus saw that a large crowd was coming to Him. The Synoptics record that He “healed their sick” (Matt. 14:14) and “began speaking to them about the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:11). Mark says that Jesus was moved with “compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd” (Mark 6:34; cf. Num. 27:17; 1 Kings 22:17; Matt. 9:36). The Lord knew the crowd’s superficial motive for following Him (v. 26), but His abundant mercy was such that He met their needs anyway.

Late in the day (Mark 6:35) or as the day was ending (Luke 9:12) and it “was evening, the disciples came to Him and said, ‘This place is desolate and the hour is already late; so send the crowds away, that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves’” (Matt. 14:15). Jesus, however, had a different solution in mind. He said to Philip, “Where are we to buy bread, so that these may eat?” Why the Lord singled out Philip is not revealed. It may be that he was the administrator of the Twelve, the one responsible for arranging meals and taking care of logistical details. The question was intended to articulate the impossibility of anyplace where such bread could be secured.

Jesus was not trying to discover what Philip was thinking, since He already knew that (cf. 2:25; 21:17). Nor did He need Philip’s input to help Him formulate a plan. He knew that Philip knew of no place to get bread and had no plan to provide it. The Lord’s purpose in questioning Philip (and by extension the rest of the disciples; cf. Luke 9:12) was to test him, for He Himself knew what He was intending to do—and it had nothing to do with buying bread. As He does with all His people, the Lord posed the dilemma as a way of testing the disciples to strengthen their faith. James wrote, “Consider it all joy my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2–4). The apostle Peter similarly stated, “In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7).

Philip’s faith (along with the rest of the Twelve’s) was found lacking, and he exclaimed hopelessly, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, for everyone to receive a little.”

To Philip it seemed pointless to discuss where they might get bread, since they clearly did not have enough money to buy it if they could find it. A denarius equaled one day’s pay for a common laborer (Matt. 20:2), so two hundred denarii would be approximately eight months’ wages for an average worker. Philip’s response stressed the impossibility of the situation in his eyes, and revealed the insufficiency of his faith. He had already seen Christ perform many miracles, including turning water into wine (2:1–11). He would have also been familiar with the various Old Testament accounts of God’s miraculous provision of food (Ex. 16; Num. 11:31–32; 1 Kings 17:9–16; 2 Kings 4:1–7). Yet, “rather than focusing on Jesus, Philip’s mental computer began to work like a cash register, and all he could think about was the total cash that would be needed to provide just a little bread for each person” (Gerald L. Borchert, John 1–11, The New American Commentary [Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 2002], 253).

Andrew, unlike Philip, at least tried to find a solution (although he may have been merely trying to corroborate Philip’s pessimism). He reported to Jesus that his search had led him to one little boy with five barley loaves and two fish. Mark 6:38 records that Jesus commanded the disciples to go find out how much food the crowd had. Apparently Andrew was reporting the results of that search. Or, perhaps, the search took place after his report and further confirmed the dismal reality of the situation. In any case, Andrew’s faith, too, collapsed as he considered the enormity of the logistical problem. After recounting what he found, he added skeptically, “But what are these for so many people?” Andrew’s response showed that he, like Philip and the rest of the Twelve, failed the test of faith. No one responded by affirming the power of Jesus to provide.

THE FULFILLING DINNER

Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish as much as they wanted. When they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. (6:10–13)

With the disciples at a standstill, Jesus took charge of the situation. Instead of reprimanding them for their weak faith, He put them to work, instructing them to have the people sit down. Their faith may have failed, but their obedience did not, and despite their doubts they followed the Lord’s instructions. John’s personal recollection that there was much grass in the place is the type of detail an eyewitness would recall. It further confirms that the feeding of the five thousand took place in the spring (Passover [v. 4] was in March or April), before the grass withered under the scorching summer sun. Mark adds that the disciples seated the people in groups of fifty and one hundred (Mark 6:40), no doubt to make it easier to distribute the food. All four gospels record that there were five thousand men present, not counting women and children (Matt. 14:21). Allowing for a reasonable number of women and children, the total number of people was probably somewhere between fifteen and twenty thousand.

Simply, and without fanfare, Jesus then took the loaves, and having given thanks, He distributed to those who were seated; likewise also of the fish. The Lord did not create a vast amount of food all at once, but continually “broke the loaves and … kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and … divided up the two fish among them all” (Mark 6:41). The astonished crowd seated on the grassy hillside that evening witnessed the Creator God at work.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that the Lord distributed the food to the crowd through the disciples. Jesus, of course, did not need to use them; He could just as easily have distributed the food to the crowd by supernatural means. God, however, often works through weak, fallible humans. He used Moses, who was “very humble, more than any man who was on the face of the earth” (Num. 12:3), to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt; He used Gideon, the youngest child in the least important family in Manasseh (Judg. 6:15), to deliver Israel from the Midianites; and He used David, an unknown shepherd boy to kill the mighty warrior Goliath and deliver Israel from the Philistines. “God,” Paul reminded the proud, arrogant Corinthians, “has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong” (1 Cor. 1:27).

The Lord does nothing by half measures. Instead of the little taste of which Philip dubiously spoke (v. 7), everyone ate as much as they wanted, so that they were filled. After that Jesus commanded the disciples, “Gather up the leftover fragments so that nothing will be lost.” God’s abundant provision was no excuse for wasting resources (cf. Prov. 25:16). The disciples gathered the leftover food, and filled twelve baskets (of the type used to carry food or produce) with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. In an amazing display of God’s abundant grace, the leftovers far exceeded the original five barley loaves. Some think that the twelve baskets symbolize God’s provision for the twelve tribes of Israel. A simpler explanation is that there were twelve baskets because there were twelve apostles gathering the leftovers. Christ not only provided enough food to satisfy the hungry crowd, but also to provide the next day’s meal for the disciples.

THE FALSE CORONATION

Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.” So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone. (6:14–15)

Astonished by the sign which Jesus had performed, the people said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

The reference is to the messianic prophecy given by Moses in Deuteronomy 18:15–19 (cf. Acts 3:20–22). No doubt Jesus’ miraculous provision of food reminded the crowd of Moses and the manna God provided for Israel in the wilderness. The feeding of the huge crowd was a true creative miracle—not, as some skeptics argue, a story of how Jesus manipulated the crowd into sharing their lunches with each other. If that were all that happened, the crowd would hardly have viewed it as a miraculous sign pointing to Jesus as the Christ. The people correctly realized that the miracle was supernatural and proved Jesus was the Messiah, though they drew wrong conclusions as to what that identification meant.

The crowd’s statement, made immediately after Jesus had healed their sick and filled their stomachs, revealed what the people were really looking for in a messiah. They wanted an earthly deliverer, one who would meet all their physical needs—and food and health were at the top of the list—as well as freeing them from the hated yoke of Roman oppression. Thus they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king. With Him as their provider, they would never want for food, and would have the potential to be healed of every illness. They could march to Jerusalem, overthrow the Romans, and establish the ultimate social welfare state. Jesus, however, refused to be forcibly made king on their selfish (and unrepentant) terms. Therefore, He sent the disciples away by boat (Matt. 14:22; Mark 6:45), dispersed the crowd (Matt. 14:23; Mark 6:45–46), and withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Jesus does not acquiesce to whims or fancies. He comes to no man on that man’s terms. People cannot manipulate Him for their own selfish ends. Some modern evangelists, in an attempt to be “seeker-friendly” present Jesus to unbelievers as a quick fix for felt needs like health, wealth, and self-esteem—superficially marketing Him as providing everything unbelievers want. But that turns the gospel message upside down. People do not come to Christ on their terms, so that He can heal their broken relationships, make them successful in life, and help them feel good about themselves. Instead, they must come to Him on His terms. Jesus graciously loves believers and grants them a rich legacy of joy (John 15:11), peace (John 14:27), and comfort (2 Cor. 1:3–7). But at the same time, He calls sinners to mourn over their sin (Matt. 5:4), repent (Matt. 4:17), and acknowledge Him as the sovereign Lord (Rom. 10:9; cf. Phil. 2:9–11), to whom they owe complete obedience (John 14:15, 21; 1 John 5:3). Even today, He continues to withdraw from those who seek Him for their own self-serving ends, just as He did from the crowd that sought to make Him king on their terms. And, as becomes clear later in chapter 6, He drives others away with the hard demands of the gospel (v. 66).